Beetle Loses Production Record

ScottC · Post by **ScottC** » Wed Jun 26, 2002 9:27 am

I thought this was interesting. At least the beetle was overtaken by another VW model.

"As the 21,517,415th Volkswagen Golf rolled off the line yesterday in Wolfsburg, Germany, the model overtook the company’s Beetle as the world’s most produced car ever, VW said. The Beetle had held the title since 1972, when it overtook the Model T Ford. WSJ 6/24"

dubwcoast · Post by **dubwcoast** » Wed Jun 26, 2002 10:16 am

do the beetles in mexico still count for the beetles production

RoWaMe · Post by **RoWaMe** » Wed Jun 26, 2002 1:13 pm

Long live the Beetle- if we can help it! Just shows that it took from '74 to now (28 yrs) for the Rabbit/Golf (with what, 3 major redesigns?) to beat the Beetle's production record. Took the Beetle from '45 (WW2 KdF-cars don't really count)to '72 ("only" 27 yrs!!) to beat the Model T, but the Beetle really did not undergo the "platform" major redesigns that the Rabbit/Golf did. Sure, almost every single part on the Beetle was redesigned/refined during its production life in Germany and in MExico/Brazil, but the '45 still "looked" alot lke a '72 or '77. You really can't say that with the '75 Rabbit and a 2002 Golf. Back in the late '70's I read that the only part that was not changed from the '45 or even the KdF Beetles to the late '70's was the retaining strip for the front hood weatherseal. On the later Mex Bugs in the '80's or '90's, that strip also has been eliminated, with the hood seal being clipped to the bottom side of the hood itself.

RoWaMe · Post by **RoWaMe** » Wed Jun 26, 2002 1:16 pm

Oh- I had to look at that again, and I think I got something wrong in my above post. The Beetle took 27 yrs to beat Model T (12 million something) but the Rabbit/Golf took 1 year longer to build twice as many. Right up there with the Corolla...

tmccorry · Post by **tmccorry** » Wed Jun 26, 2002 1:25 pm

hey RoWaMe, Hi from New City! 62 bug. Tom

vwoval.com · Post by **vwoval.com** » Wed Jun 26, 2002 11:20 pm

They should. I think that was German figures Only.. not Mexico or Brazil.

Didn't the Toyota Corola overtake it long ago? but its not valid because it's not the same platform. The beetle ran essentially the same platform until 1998's release of the NB.

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chris
shoptalk@vwoval.com

Bruce2 · Post by **Bruce2** » Wed Jun 26, 2002 11:32 pm

That record is a VW internal record only. The Corolla is up around 26 million now. And I think there's another car in there too.
And you can bet the Mexican and Brazilian production of the Bug did add to the German numbers. Since the Corolla today has nothing in common with the ones years ago, the same should apply to the New Beetle. Its numbers should apply to the total for the old Bug.